Individual Details

This is an unproven relationship. However, multiple atDNA matches to descendants of siblings indicates he was surely Nancy's father.

1800 Census. Abraham is not found in North Carolina. He is thought to have been in South Carolina about this time.
There was in Morgan District, Rutherford, NC, the following Goodmans, all between the ages of 26 and 45.
"Flammon" Goodman 2m under 10, 1m 26-45, 1f 16-26 [This is surely Fleming Goodman]
Jacob Goodman, 2m under 10, 1m 10-16, 1m 26-45, 1f 26-45
William Goodman, 2m under 10, 2m 10-16, 1m 26-45, 2f under 10, 1 female 26-45.

1803. Abraham Goodman made purchases at a sale in Greenville District, SC. This places him in South Carolina about the time Mahala and Nancy were born ...and James Bates, father of Robert Bates who married Mahala was also present in Greenville District.

1810 Census, Barren Co, KY. There were 15 heads of household with the name Goodman. Many of these are found in groups over the next 20-30 years.
Those males counted in Barren, over the age of 45 in 1810 were:
John Goodman, who had 9 persons under the age of 26 and a probable spouse also over 45. He was enumerated next to George and Anderson Goodman
Charles Goodman was over 45, spouse over 45, three daughters under 16.
Jacob Goodman was over 45 with 7 males under 26, one female age 10-16 and two females over age 45 in his household. He is thought to be the Jacob from Rutherford NC
"Flemmen" Goodman was also now over age 45. The oldest female was age 26-45 [his wife was younger back in Rutherford, too]. There were 4 children under 10, 2 males 16-26 [the boys under 10 in 1800], and a male age 26-45. A younger Jesse Goodman, age 26-45, and a William, age 16-26, were on the same page with Fleming.
All on the same page in Barren Co, were another William Goodman, Harden Goodman, and Abraham, all age 26-45. Alexander & John Goodman listed near them were both 16-26.
Abraham's family in 1810 consisted of 2 males and 4 females under the age of 10; his spouse was listed as age 16-26. These 4 females are never identified in online databases. The two boys would have been Hosea [although he was likely born prior to 1800] and Abisha.
An Amos Goodman, age 26-45 with a young male, under 10, a female age 16-26, and a female over age 45 was present in Barren Co in 1810.
There was a John "Jr", age 26-45, with a boy and girl each under 10 and a female age 16-26. He was not living close to either of the other John Goodmans in Barren. He could not be a Junior to the John that was on the same page with Abraham because that John was only 16-26. The other John was listed with George and Anderson and was over age 45. Possibly this John age 26-45, is his son.

1820 Census, Barren Co, KY - those that stayed behind [alpha census]
p.13
Charles Goodman: 1m over age 45; 1f over age 45
Charles Goodman, Jr: 2m under 10, 1m 26-45; 1f over 45 [likely wrong column]
Johnson Goodman: 1m 16-26; 1f 16-26
John Goodman: 1m 10-16, 1m 26-45, 1f under 10, 1f 26-45
Richard Goodman: 2m under 10, 1m 26-45; 1f under 10, 1f 16-26
[followed by a Richard Gardner who was also indexed as Richard Goodman]
The above were all one right after the other.
On the previous page, p.12:
John Goodman: 2m 10-16, 1m 26-45; 1f 26-45
Thomas Goodman: 3m under 10, 1m 10-16, 1m 26-45; 2f under 10, 1f 10-16, 2f 16-26, 1f 26-45.
Those two listed together and then further down the page are two more Goodmans together.
Richard Goodman: 2m under 10, 1m 26-45; 1f under 10, 1f 16-26 [Matches perfectly the previous Richard Goodman - was he enumerated twice? See notes of Hosea Goodman to read more about this Richard]
Mildred Goodman: 2m under 10, 1m 16-26; 1f 16-26, 1f over age 45

Tennessee Early Land Register, 1778-1927; Plats and Surveys
State of Tennessee, First District
Survey drawn & Entry made out 23 Aug 1824 for orders by Wm. Hogins.
By virtue of Entry #14930 dated the 27th day of April 1815, founded on a Certificate #2092 issued by the Register of West Tennesse for six acres. I have surveyed for Abraham Goodman, assignee of Caleb Higginbotham, six acres of land in Dickson County on the North fork of Bear Creek beginning at a white Oak marked AG on the North bank of said Creek about forty poles below the mouth of Jesse G. Christian's Spring branch running from that West forty four poles to a Locust, thence North twenty two poles to a Stake then East forty four poles to a stake, Thence South twenty two poles o the beginning Including the Improvements whereon said Goodman now Lives. Surveyed this 27th day of Sept. 1815. Wm. B. Ross, DS Filed 23 Oct 1815
William Davis & John KIllbreath, SCC

1820 Census, Maury Co, TN. There are three Goodmans listed together on the same page.
Fleming: 1m 16-18, 1m 16-26 [may be two different young men, or the same boy if he was 16-18], 1m over 45 who is surely Fleming; 2 females under 10, 2 females 10-16, and a female over 45.
John: 1m 16-18, 1m 16-26; 1f age 16-26
Abraham: 2m under 10 [Lemuel & Ervin], 1m age 10-16 appears to have his mark rubbed out, 1m age 26-45 [Abraham]; 1f under 10, 3f 10-16, 1f 26-45. [It would appear that one of the 4 girls under 10 in 1810 had married and indeed Mahala Goodman married Robert Bates, 1819, in Maury County. Abraham was in the 26-45 age category in both 1810 and 1820, narrowing his birth year to possibly between 1775-1785.]

1820 - Abraham in Maury Co TN had: 2m under 10 [possibly Lemuel & Ervin], 1m 10-16 - a faint mark that looks like it was "rubbed out" by the enumerator, 1m 26-45 [Abraham]. 1f under 10 [Telitha]. 3f 10-16 [Nancy, Minerva, ??? - Mahala already married], 1f 26-45 [wife Nancy]. Hosea & Abisha old enough to be married but not found - possibly gone to Illinois.


Another larger group of Goodmans was on another page of Maury County in 1820. The two oldest, the only two over age 45, were William and Jessey - both still had children at home and apparent spouses. Jesse had two women over age 45 in his household. Then there was a John Goodman, age 26-45, with spouse the same age and as many as 9 children. There were two more William Goodmans, both age 16-26; a Joseph C. age 16-26, and Alexander Goodman, age 26-45. All appeared to have spouses and children.



1830. Abraham believed deceased. Not in any census.
Living in Carroll Co TN, enumerated near each other were Nancy Goodman, head of household. 1m -5 [grandson?], 1m 5-10 [Ervin], 1m 15-20 [Lemuel], 1f 20-30 [??dau or dau-in-law], 1f 50-60 [the widow? - note that the other male Goodmans from Maury Co the age of Abraham [including Alexander] were all still living in 1830].
Ephraim Comstock. 3 males under 5 [Leander & Hugh & ??? - did they perhaps lose a child? There's room for one between Caroline & Hugh] 1m 40-50 [Ephraim was 35]; 1f 5-10 [Caroline]; 1f 20-30 [Nancy].
Jordan Middleton. 1m under 5 [Haywood], 1m 20-30 [Jordan], 1f 15-20 [Telitha]
Hosea Goodman was in Montgomery Co, Illinois, Minerva Parks, widow, next door to him. Abisha was in Fayette Co, IL. Hardin Goodman, L. Goodman and Washington Goodman, were there, too, on the same page - Hardin was age 50-60, "L" was age 20-30, Washington was age 20-30. [They are indexed as being in Tazewell Co, IL, on Ancestry, but this is wrong - if you go to the next to the last image, you'll see where the enumerator signed the sheets as being the census for Montgomery County.]
Robert & Mahala Bates were in Hickman Co, TN

Research has shown that it is a possibility that Nancy was one of three daughters age 10-16 in Abraham Goodman's household in Maury Co TN in 1820. In 1810, Abraham had 4 daughters under age 10 which also accommodates a daughter Mahala who married in 1819. The others that had at least one daughter age 10-16, have been found to be alive and still have spouses in 1830 - and it's likely Nancy Goodman Comstock's mother is found as a widow in 1830. Abraham is the male head of household missing from the Goodmans in 1830 and descendants have given him a date of death as circa 1826. I have an autosomal match to a brother and sister that are descendants of Abraham's son Hosea - with no other evident matches - which would lend support to that fact it is indeed Abraham who was the father of Nancy.

By 1850, several of Abraham's children were living in Graves Co, KY. Family tradition has placed Nancy Goodman Comstock as being "of" Graves Co, KY, even though all the evidence suggests she never lived in Kentucky. If she spoke of siblings in Graves Co to her children, that could be the source of this "tradition".

The children listed here are found on the Internet and not proved - however I did find several of them in censuses and the data found supports the Internet data. Another son, a Jesse, is often added, but I'm not sure he belongs in this family and did not find evidence of him.

It is interesting that I have autosomal DNA matches to descendants of a John Goodman, born circa 1780 who married Mary Robertson, 12 Sep 1802 in Rutherford, NC.

Birth	Bet 1775 and 1785
Death	Ca 1825	Maury County, Tennessee

Spouse	Nancy [Goodman] (1770 - 1840)
Child	Hosea GOODMAN (1798 - 1857)
Child	Abisha GOODMAN (1800 - )
Child	Mahala GOODMAN (1804 - 1870)
Child	NANCY GOODMAN (1805 - 1855)
Child	Manerva GOODMAN (1806 - )
Child	Lemuel Oliver GOODMAN (1813 - 1874)
Child	Telitha GOODMAN (1814 - 1896)
Child	B. Ervin GOODMAN (1817 - 1870)